This entire budget is bogus. Speaking from a personal standpoint, it’s a disgrace not only to the First Responders (Fire Department & Police Department) but to the entire City of Columbus to reduce their budget where they are forced to operate with minimal staff. I’m going to speak for the Fire Department:
Entry Level Firefighters make $10.33 per hour and after the first year they make $10.88 per hour
Engineers make $12.48 per hour
Captains make $14.63 per hour
Battalion Chiefs make $16.82 per hour (And the city wonders why there are only 18 personnel per shift to cover the entire city.)
Let’s not take into account the numerous hours, days, and weeks that my father was absent due to enhancing his training and serving the city of Columbus from 1996 to present day. The exact people who you and your family calls on at when a need arises. People, like myself, wonder if it’s even worth raising our kids in a city where employees who sacrifice on a daily basis get taken advantage of and employees who sit in an office get handed a silver spoon. I’m not saying their job isn’t as important. Don’t get me wrong. But the two departments who enforce the laws, keep our community safe, get thrown to the wolves. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this happen, but I damn sure expected to see a difference. Crime has substantially gotten worse and I’m afraid it’s about to get 10 times worse. Columbus can’t even keep a police department operating with minimal officers. What do you expect to happen lowering their budget as if they do not even matter? After seeing these numbers, if I were a first responder, I’d turn in my resignation immediately. What is your vision for the City? God forbid you lower these budgets, see a decrease in First responder employees and something happen to your family.
For every single person who sits on that board and will vote on this decision, I challenge you to go spend one day at the fire department and police department and let’s see how quick you change your mind.
And for every single person who signs off on this, if/when they do, y’all should be required to sacrifice your life, your time, to fill in at each department when needed. This isn’t just a matter of how much someone gets paid or how many people are employed within a department, this is life or death during an emergency, and it very well could be you.
Kaylie Gibson
Columbus
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